Culture and Imperialism

A landmark work from the intellectually auspicious author of Orientalism, this book explores the long-overlooked connections between the Western imperial endeavor and the culture that both reflected and reinforced it. This classic study, the direct successor to Said's main work, is read by Peter Ganim (Orientalism).

A History of Western Philosophy

Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy serves as the perfect introduction to its subject; it remains unchallenged as the greatest account of the history of Western thought. Charting philosophy's course from the pre-Socratics up to the early twentieth century, Russell relates each philosopher and school to their respective historical and cultural contexts, providing erudite commentary throughout his invaluable survey.

Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years

Once in a generation, a historian will redefine his field, producing a book that demands to be read or heard - a product of electrifying scholarship conveyed with commanding skill. Diarmaid MacCulloch's Christianity is such a book. Breathtaking in ambition, it ranges back to the origins of the Hebrew Bible and covers the world, following the three main strands of the Christian faith.

Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First

What we consume has become the defining feature of our lives: our economies live or die by spending, we are treated more as consumers than workers and even public services are presented to us as products in a supermarket. In this monumental study, acclaimed historian Frank Trentmann unfolds the extraordinary history that has shaped our material world, from late Ming China, Renaissance Italy and the British Empire to the present.

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

The sun is setting on the Western world. Slowly but surely, the direction in which the world spins has reversed: where for the last five centuries the globe turned westward on its axis, it now turns to the east.... For centuries, fame and fortune were to be found in the West - in the New World of the Americas. Today it is the East that calls out to those in search of adventure and riches. The region stretching from Eastern Europe and sweeping right across Central Asia, deep into China and India, is taking center stage.

Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939

For all the literature about Adolf Hitler, there have been just four seminal biographies; this is the fifth, a landmark work that sheds important new light on Hitler himself. Drawing on previously unseen papers and a wealth of recent scholarly research, Volker Ullrich reveals the man behind the public persona, from Hitler's childhood, to his failures as a young man in Vienna, to his experiences during the First World War, to his rise as a far-right party leader.

The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today's developing countries-with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.

The Foundations of Western Civilization

What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.

Who Rules the World?: Reframings

Internationally renowned political commentator Noam Chomsky examines America's pursuit and exercise of power in a post-9/11 world. Noam Chomsky is the world's foremost intellectual activist. Over the last half century, no one has done more to question the great global powers who govern our lives, forensically scrutinizing policies and actions, calling our politicians, institutions and media to account. The culmination of years of work, Who Rules the World? is Chomsky's definitive intellectual investigation into the major issues of our times.

Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane

Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects.

Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent

Since its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx. Rather than chronology, geography, or political successions, Eduardo Galeano has organized the various facets of Latin American history according to the patterns of five centuries of exploitation.

Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies

In his 1988 CBC Massey Lecture, Noam Chomsky inquires into the nature of the media in a political system where the population cannot be disciplined by force and thus must be subjected to more subtle forms of ideological control. Specific cases are illustrated in detail, using the U.S. media primarily but also media in other societies.

The Origins of Totalitarianism

This classic, definitive account of totalitarianism traces the emergence of modern racism as an "ideological weapon for imperialism", beginning with the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe in the 19th century and continuing through the New Imperialism period from 1884 to World War I.

The American Civil War

Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.

The Essential Chomsky

In a single volume, the seminal writings of the world's leading philosopher, linguist, and critic, published to coincide with his 80th birthday. For the past 40 years Noam Chomsky's writings on politics and language have established him as a preeminent public intellectual and as one of the most original and wide-ranging political and social critics of our time. Among the seminal figures in linguistic theory over the past century, since the 1960s Chomsky has also secured a place as perhaps the leading dissident voice in the United States.

A Concise History of the Middle East, Ninth Edition

The ninth edition of this widely acclaimed text has been extensively revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East. As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope, and balanced treatment.

Thinking Like an Economist: A Guide to Rational Decision Making

Economic forces are everywhere around you. But that doesn't mean you need to passively accept whatever outcome those forces might press upon you. Instead, with these 12 fast-moving and crystal clear lectures, you can learn how to use a small handful of basic nuts-and-bolts principles to turn those same forces to your own advantage.

Power Systems: Conversations on Global Democratic Uprisings and the New Challenges to U.S. Empire

A compelling new set of interviews on our changing and turbulent times with Noam Chomsky, one of the world's foremost thinkers...

In this new collection of conversations, conducted from 2010 to 2012, Noam Chomsky explores the most immediate and urgent concerns: the future of democracy in the Arab world, the implications of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the European financial crisis, the breakdown of American mainstream political institutions, and the rise of the Occupy movement. As always, Chomsky presents his ideas vividly and accessibly, with uncompromising principle and clarifying insight.

ISIS: The State of Terror

Two leading experts on violent extremism explain the genesis, evolution, and implications of today's most barbaric jihadist army, Islamic State.

Drawing on their unusual access to intelligence sources and material, law enforcement, and groundbreaking research into open-source intelligence, Stern and Berger outline the origins of ISIS as the formidable terrorist group it has quickly become.

Capital in the Twenty-First Century

What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of political economy. But satisfactory answers have been hard to find for lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories. In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty analyzes a unique collection of data from 20 countries, ranging as far back as the 18th century, to uncover key economic and social patterns.

The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815-1914

The Pursuit of Power draws on a lifetime of thinking about 19th-century Europe to create an extraordinarily rich, surprising and entertaining panorama of a continent undergoing drastic change. The aim of this audiobook is to reignite the sense of wonder that permeated this remarkable era, as rulers and ruled navigated overwhelming cultural, political and technological changes.

A History of the Arab Peoples

Despite the turmoil of Arab nationalism and fundamentalism, Middle Eastern wars, and oil crises, the history of the Arab world has been little known and poorly understood in the West. One reason may be that, for more than half a century, there has been no up-to-date single volume work that chronicles the story of Arab civilization - until now.

Linguistics: A Very Short Introduction

Linguistics falls in the gap between arts and science, on the edges of which the most fascinating discoveries and the most important problems are found. Rather than following the conventional organization of many contemporary introductions to the subject, the author of this stimulating guide begins his discussion with the oldest, 'arts' end of the subject and moves chronologically through to the newest research - the 'science' aspects.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.

Publisher's Summary

This landmark book, first published in 1978, remains one of the most influential books in the Social Sciences, particularly Ethnic Studies and Postcolonialism. Said is best known for describing and critiquing "Orientalism", which he perceived as a constellation of false assumptions underlying Western attitudes toward the East. In Orientalism Said claimed a "subtle and persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arabo-Islamic peoples and their culture." He argued that a long tradition of false and romanticized images of Asia and the Middle East in Western culture had served as an implicit justification for Europe and the US' colonial and imperial ambitions. Just as fiercely, he denounced the practice of Arab elites who internalized the US and British orientalists' ideas of Arabic culture. Peter Ganim's narration gives the work an elegant and knowledgable voice.

In the academic world, this book has become well-known and influential that a realistic estimate of its impact has the sound of hyperbole. That makes it worth reading in the same way as Plato's _Republic_ or Machiavelli's _The Prince_; you may not agree with all or even much of its arguments, but there's much value simply in knowing what these ideas are that so many people are thinking and talking about.

For those who don't know the book, it describes the connections between how European empires (and the US, somewhat) controlled the Middle East politically, fantasized about it, and studied it, arguing that these were all aspects of the same structures and processes. It suffers from a certain amount of contradiction and one-sided argument, but I think that when Said was writing in the 1970s the other side of the argument--the pro-colonialist side--was more frequently heard than it is now.

Another reviewer complained that he quit after listening for 45 minutes and finding that it was all generic political arguments. I think that reviewer never got past the new preface, which does go on for something like 45 minutes. The preface was added around 2004 and is mainly a fairly standard critique of the US invasion of Iraq from the perspective of its early years. There's no solution but to be patient and wait for the book itself to begin.

I've had a print copy for years and never got around to reading it, but am finding the audio version pleasant going. Said's writing is much clearer and jargon-free than many of his admirers--he is a scholar of literature, after all. The reader does well enough to keep my attention, and handles fairly well the French words that show up regularly. There are times when he sounds exactly like a computer-generated voice reading text, but his reading doesn't put me to sleep.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Gene Venable

Agoura Hills, CA, United States

22/02/11

Overall

"Why now? Because it's about now."

I had heard of Orientalism for many years -- it was on my feel-guilty-because-I-haven't-read-it list. I was more or less shocked to see that Audible was offering it -- unabridged, yet. What shocked me further is that its vitality grabs you by the throat from word one. I'm sure that part of the effect is produced by the superb narrator, but most of it must come from the impassioned yet inescapably logical author. i'll never think the same way about people in the non-rich world again.

20 of 23 people found this review helpful

Val Shebeko

10/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Required reading"

Fabulous , wonderful, written by a thinking person. For thinking people. Read this book and prevent WW III

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Jose

Madrid, Spain

12/05/11

Overall

"Wonderful! Epic! We need more like this around!"

Thank you! THANK YOU!!
I want to thank you, Audible, for give scholars the opportunity to have their books in audio.
Edward Said deserves it.
I am really looking forward for the next publications. I hope there's more Edward Said coming!!
Please, the Audio Book field have reached an academic level that you, Audible, has the responsibility to fill this gap. More Academic Books! Please! and "Bravo" for Edward Said!

13 of 17 people found this review helpful

Graeme

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

15/03/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Really Powerful Content"

What did you like best about this story?

There were far fewer particular ideas and points in this book than than you might believe, given its length, but it's only because Said takes the time to expand upon each point with many historical proofs. If you want to learn about a history of racism towards people from the Middle East, start here. It will hammer the key points into your head very hard.

Any additional comments?

It is a difficult read. Emotionally for sure, but it gets hard to pay attention to after a while too. But, it's still very worth it to get to the end.

And the narration was fine. Did its job.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Nic Johnson

20/01/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"well said"

this is allegedly a challenging book to read, and no doubt you'll have to relisten to parts of it, but the performance makes it easier and the flow is very nice. would have been better if some of the fench and German had more English translation, but this only crops up in a few places.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Steve

OCALA, FL, United States

08/03/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Abstruse."

I guess an earlier reviewer, David Newcastle, Australia, has a couple or so critics here. He titled his review: "Tautological and terribly tedious..." Because of the importance of this book, I am approximately 2/3 the way through Professor Edward Said's seminal work; forcing myself to listen on. Little doubt there is validity to the professor's charge, European Orientalists (many) were motivated by racial supremacism and intolerance of oriental or asiatic peoples from which I originate. I am hoping to read the late professor's take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Actually it is Israel's conflict with the greater Muslim world which does not recognize the need for a sovereign Jewish state in Dar al-Islam - the territory of Islam. I remember the media accounts of Professor Said in southern Lebanon joining protesters by throwing a stone at Israeli soldiers just across the border. Said and President Obama were acquaintances or friends. There are pictures of the two families dining together. If you like recondite. If you like abstruse scholarship, you will love this book!

2 of 8 people found this review helpful

Harvey

14/08/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Unintelligible gibberish"

As convoluted a narrative as I have encountered. Hypocritical. Author exposes his own cultural biases. Critical without offering any vision. Majority of books revenue as forced feeding freshman students Condemns globalization and capitalism as exploitive What is the authors alternative. Communism , socialism? Authors writing style is affected and long winded. Personally, I got nothing out of this book other than a headacheMy advise is not to waste your timeInstead, read Das Capital.

2 of 9 people found this review helpful

Rex Dillon

Las Vegas, USA

06/04/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Will this Work Stand the Test of Time?"

I had a History professor who was a fan of Michele Faucault. We also read Said. This edition has a new afterword. I appreciate that Mr. Said has issues with the West. However, in the years in between reading the earlier edition for the first time in the 1990s, and this edition in 2008 and now years after the fizzled hopes of the so-called Arab Spring, I have become convinced that this work is a decidedly Cold War Era project with its indictments of 18th-20th century European colonialism and I am not convinced of its long term usefulness in the face of non-state actors seeking to subjugate the formerly colonized.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful

David

Newcastle, Australia

26/11/11

Overall

Performance

Story

"Tautological and terribly tedious tripe."

Unfortunately, I couldn't bear to continue listening to this after the first 30-45 minutes. I had come to it enthusiastic and interested to learn. What I remember of the small amount I was able to tolerate was that the author offered a few trite ideas described with the aid of a thesaurus. Rather than try to define clearly what he wished to communicate, the author seemed to seek many different ways of describing a few, very general notions. Instead of clearly communicating any single idea, the author appeared to be using the book to grope for some hoped-for-profundity he seemed convinced was in his verbal soup somewhere, if only he were fortunate enough to stumble over the right sequence of words. There are many more productive ways of spending one's time than listening to this.

4 of 30 people found this review helpful

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